Daddy's Girl
by iluvaqt
Summary: A week or so following S10E02 Shield. After going public, Oliver gets a surprise visit from the last person he ever expected to see. One-shot


**Title:** Daddy's girl

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** After going public, Oliver gets a surprise visit from the last person he ever expected to see.

* * *

"Mr. Queen, I told him that he should make an appointment but he insisted and I called security but he said that he was family and..."

Oliver pushed open his office door, with his secretary trailing after him, her heels clicking loudly on the polished tiled floor when he caught sight of his visitor and held up a quieting hand. "Security won't be necessary. You think you can stall my three o'clock for a bit? I'll call when I'm ready for him."

His secretary nodded. "No problem, Mr. Queen."

Oliver tried not to betray how rattled he was to see the older man standing in the middle of his office. Gabe Sullivan had stood from the lounge chair as soon as the office doors had opened. Oliver waved him down. "Please sit, would you like a drink?"

"We both know why I'm here, so I'd like to cut to the chase. Shall we?" Gabe nodded to the chairs. When Oliver nodded, Gabe sat down and leaned forward, putting his hands on his knees, studying the younger man as he poured himself a drink from the bar. "So the Green Arrow huh? My baby girl was secretly dating the Green Arrow. She knew right? About your leather wearing alter-ego."

Oliver resisted the urge to down his scotch and set the glass back on the mirrored surface again, turning to look at Chloe's father.

Gabe Sullivan nodded at the glass. "Good choice. Wouldn't want you accidentally falling off a roof or shooting the victim instead of the perp."

"You wanna tell me why you're here? Cause I know it's not really about what I do with my spare time."

Gabe narrowed his eyes. "Oh but it is. You see, after going on the lamb with that Davis character, we made a pact, my little girl and I. No more secrets. I thought that one still stood after the trial with Luthor but obviously my stubborn headed cub reporter thought death was a loop hole on that one. Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought her marrying Olsen was a big mistake, right? Not because he wasn't a decent enough kid, but they hardly knew each other. At least not from the impression she gave me. How can you marry someone without having the same goals or seeing a your future with them? Chloe didn't really let me explain. After I said I didn't a prove, she stopped calling for awhile. And I guess my invite got lost in the mail, although I she did explain about this freaky possession thing." Gabe frowned. "I think I age ten years every time she tells me about those... Anyway," he shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back on track. He looked at over at Oliver again. "I heard about what happened to him, Jimmy. Even though I didn't think they should have married, no one would wish that fate on anyone. I feel for his family."

Oliver just listened, feeling numb as all those old memories of their too short time together resurfaced. They'd been through so much, seen so much. It was hard to imagine they hadn't really had anyone else to turn to but each other during that ordeal and he'd left her. He'd left her at her most vulnerable. She hadn't even had her Dad to talk to because she'd shut him out. And he knew Chloe. She'd be too proud to call him first. Too afraid of an I told you so, or condescension. She was too afraid to let anyone in, too afraid to admit any weakness or rely on anyone else. Even though this man, from all he'd said, and raising a daughter like Chloe, he loved her more than any man could love a child.

"I know my daughter, she's all heart and sometimes no head. Something's happened, a parent knows these things, so quit stalling Mr. Queen and tell me what happened to my daughter. I called my brother in-law, and if there's anything to know underground, covert or otherwise he can find out, but she's just gone. No driver's license, library cards, bank or phone records... Someone went out of their way to erase her existence. All I have are her high school transcripts, a couple of year books, family videos and albums. Last week she called me and said despite the regular work you had her doing- while it called for long nights and obscene hours, for which she said she couldn't get into detail and now I understand- everything was fine. She seemed happy even. Something haven't heard in her voice, convincingly for a long time."

Oliver abandoned the glass and took two bottles of flat mineral water from behind the bar. He set them down on the table and took the seat opposite Gabe. "Things got messy. I don't know how regularly you watch the news, but we were involved in trying to prevent a lot of terrorist like attacks the past few months. They were defaced and burning monuments. We had proof that they were a global threat, we were hoping to avert that. We did by the way. Chloe's the brains of our group, you do know there's more of us out there right? It's not just me... and well..."

"But something did go wrong. That's why she's gone?"

Oliver swallowed thickly, his eyes smarting. He'd faced reporters without flinching or even skipping a beat but this man, Chloe's father. It was like confessing to his own parents something he could bear. The guilt was still too fresh. Disappointing them was failing them, but at least he couldn't see their eyes when he said it. Gabe. Gabe was staring at him almost hopeful, almost begging him not to confirm his suspicions. To tell him anything, lie, make promises that his baby girl was safe, just in hiding. But how could he when the truth was he had no idea where she was, and that there was a possibility that she really was dead. Even when he wished with all his being that he could believe the lie that he'd initially told Lois. That she was just on an extended impromptu vacation.

"I got captured by some rogue group. They wanted to know about our operation, our satellites, who we are... I couldn't betray my friends, I couldn't endanger Chloe. It didn't matter in the end though. She found out who they were and she traded herself to get me out... They told me she took cyanide..." He didn't know why he told Gabe that, when he still couldn't even tell Lois the whole truth behind Chloe's disappearance. Maybe it was because he felt as though if their roles reversed and it were his parents, he'd want them to know the truth.

Gabe closed his eyes sucking in a shaky breath. All the bravado he'd come in here with escaped in that instant, his face went white and a stray tear slipped down his cheek.

"That's why you've been letting this circus have at you isn't it? You think that void is going to fill back up? You think their love, gratitude and adoration is going to make you feel any better about the choices you've made? She would have wanted you to continue doing the work you started together, but not like this. Stop looking in the mirror trying to see the mistakes and pick yourself up, be better for her. It's what I did when Moira left, but not at first. I was a self pitying, bitter idiot until one morning I came down to see my little girl trying to make waffles and smoking out the kitchen. I knew then that I had everything to live for. Moira did what she had to. Chloe told me that you helped her when Luthor tried to use Moira back when too. These Sullivan-Lane women, they're stubborn as hell but you can never doubt where their hearts are at. My girl's a toughie, nothing can keep her down. Not the Luthors, not giving up her dream, not some guy trapped inside a monster. She'll beat this. Whatever it is keeping her away. In the mean time, you gotta do your part. Chin up, and do me a favor- no biographies, biopics or cheesy sitcoms. I think I've read and seen enough on Oliver Queen to give me nightmares till I'm blind and gray, no need to add a comical tight wearing man to that." Oliver was about to argue that they weren't tights for the hundredth time but gave it up with a sigh. Gabe shook his head with an rueful grin, studying Oliver shrewdly. "Most of it has to be tabloid trash and underneath it all there's gotta be a good guy, because my girl is one smart cookie, and she doesn't trust her heart to anyone frivolously. You do love her too don't you?"

Oliver met his gaze boldly and without hesitation he nodded. "With everything I am."

Gabe smiled genuinely and stood up. "Well then, don't give up on her. Cause she'll never give up on you. And make her proud." He extended his hand to Oliver.

Oliver stood too, his hand sweating like he was back in prep school picking up his spring formal date, her father meeting them at the door. Gabe Sullivan was everything and nothing like he expected him to be. He was warm, perceptive, honest, and frank, yet strong, loyal and forgiving. Oliver laughed inwardly at the thought. How could he have had any preconceived ideas about Chloe's father when the woman herself was an enigma, a ball of energy, brilliant and scary, constantly keeping him on his toes since the day he first met her. The man who raised her had to be as much of an interesting mystery as she was. He had to be in order to keep up with her. He shook Gabe's hand and met his eyes with the quirk of a warming smile. "I plan too, sir. And I could never give up on her. She helped forge the man I am today. Well before the media..." he waved offhandedly.

Gabe chuckled and reached into his jacket. "I know what you mean. If you learn anything, hear from her..." He offered Oliver his card.

"First call I make."

"And I'll do the same," Gabe promised. "Although, I have a feeling, out of the both of us. You'll be seeing her first."

Oliver tried not to put to much faith in her father's words, but his heart wouldn't hear of it. At Gabe's hopeful promise, and bright look in his eyes, Oliver felt his heart swell and beat faster. Chloe. Home. There's nothing he wanted more.


End file.
